Ohio State bounced back from its humiliating 24-point defeat to Wisconsin in the regular-season finale with a thrilling victory over Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten tournament Thursday night. The Buckeyes will look to extend their stay in the tournament even further when they take on the Michigan State Spartans in a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash later tonight.
Read on below for a preview of this much-anticipated Big Ten showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Big Ten quarterfinal between top-seeded Wisconsin and Michigan here.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago
When: Friday, March 13, 8:55 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State sealed its place in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament with a nerve-wracking 79-73 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers Thursday night. The Buckeyes survived a furious fight back by the Gophers down the stretch to improve their record this season to 23-9.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]D’Angelo Russell was in scintillating form for the Buckeyes, putting up 23 points, five rebounds and four assists against Minnesota. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year was not intimidated by any means with his first tournament game, going 7 of 16 from the field and 6 for 6 at the free throw line against the Golden Gophers.
Russell has been superb for the Buckeyes this season, leading the team not only in points (19.2 PPG) but also in rebounds (5.6 RPG) and assists (5.2 APG) as well. His all-around brilliance has been instrumental in making Ohio State one of the best offensive teams in the nation today. The Buckeyes are 25th in scoring this season, averaging 76.0 PPG.
The Buckeyes will need Russell to bring that same kind of offensive intensity against the Spartans later tonight. He struggled in their only meeting with Michigan State this season, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field. Unsurprisingly, the Buckeyes lost that game by just three points.
Russell is the guy that makes the Ohio State engine run so it is crucial for the Buckeyes to get him going right from the get-go. Russell can’t do it all alone, though. The onus is on the other players to chip in and contribute on the offensive end as well.
That support was pretty much evident in their second-round win against Minnesota. Shannon Scott (7.9 PPG) scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-12 field goal shooting against the Golden Gophers. A total of eight Ohio State players scored in that win and that balance is what the Buckeyes need if they are to beat the Spartans tonight.
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Betting on the Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans ended their regular season on a high note as they edged past the Indiana Hoosiers, 74-72, on Saturday. It was the second straight victory for the surging Spartans who have also won six of their last eight games.
That will serve them in good stead ahead of their quarterfinal showdown with the Buckeyes. The Spartans will fancy their chances against Ohio State as they have already beaten the Buckeyes this season. Denzel Valentine was the hero for the Spartans in that game as he sank the game-winning three-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining to give Michigan State the heart-stopping 59-56 victory.
Valentine finished the game with 17 points, going 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. The Spartans were sizzling from the three-point area in that game, going 7 of 15 (46.7%) in that region against the Buckeyes. The Spartans will need their perimeter gunners to be right on target once again for them to unlock Ohio State’s zone defense.
Branden Dawson had a monster showing in that Ohio State game as well, putting up 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and five blocks. Dawson has been a vital cog to the Spartans’ success this season, leading the team in rebounds (9.3 RPG), steals (1.3 SPG) and blocks (1.5 BPG). For good measure, he’s also averaging 11.6 PPG this season as the team’s third best scorer.
When it comes to scoring, though, head coach Tom Izzo will rely on Travis Trice the most. He has been tremendous for the Spartans this campaign, averaging a team-best 14.8 points and 5.4 assists per game. He displayed his offensive prowess in their last regular-season game against the Hoosiers, exploding for a game-high 21 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan State wins, 79-69.
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